The invention relates to a transporting arrangement and an empty-container accepting arrangement.
A system for taking back empty containers may be part of a return chain which sends the empty containers taken back by means of the empty-container taking-back system for example for reuse or recycling (for example for the recovery of raw materials). In the food industry, the empty containers are also referred to as empties and the taking-back system is also referred to as an empty-container taking-back system or reverse vending machine.
Depending on the area of use of the empty-container taking-back system, the empty containers taken back by means of the empty-container taking-back system may be sorted. Used for this are branched transporting systems, which sort the empty containers for example into corresponding containers or storage areas. For example, the empty-container taking-back system may have a sorting device at points at which the transporting system branches. By means of the sorting device, the empty containers can be distributed to various transporting sections of the transporting system, which may run next to one another (horizontal distribution) and/or one above the other (vertical distribution). In particular, transporting levels onto which the empty containers are distributed that are arranged one above the other often require little space to be provided.
The throughput and the transporting sequence of the transporting system are conventionally restricted by the operating speed and reliability of the individual sorting devices. For example, sorting devices that are too slow form a kind of “bottleneck”, which can cause backups and consequently impede the transporting sequence of the entire transporting system. Alternatively or in addition, unreliable sorting devices may distribute the empty containers incorrectly. Apart from the effort involved in correcting the sorting error, the backup section, which is designed for small quantities of containers, can quickly fill up if too many containers are fed to it because of a sorting error.
A conventional transporting system may be slow for example if empty containers have to be raised and/or particularly heavy container loads (for example full empties crates) have to be distributed. Similarly, sorting errors may occur if the empty containers cannot be clearly classified. Conventionally, the unreliability may increase if a large number of types of empty container are to be sorted and/or they have to be sorted at high speed (i.e. with a high throughput).
According to various embodiments, a transporting arrangement that in graphic terms allows quicker vertical distribution with less unreliability (or a lower error rate) is provided. In graphic terms, the transporting arrangement may be configured to classify the empty containers (for example on the basis of their weight) and distribute them in the vertical direction. Distribution on the basis of classification may also be referred to as sorting.
According to various embodiments, a transporting arrangement is provided, the distribution mode of which (also referred to more generally as the operating mode) may be configured as switchable. For example, optionally (for example as desired by users), heavy container loads for example (for example full empties crates) may be transported in the upward direction. Alternatively, light container loads for example can be transported in the downward direction.
Depending on the height or physique of a store employee, it is ergonomically better/easier for him or her to transport heavy empties crates to an upper transporting level or to a lower transporting level. For this, a rapid change of the transporting guidance is made possible by corresponding user-side setting or selecting of the operating mode. In this way, the “distance” from the transporting level that the store employee still has to overcome can be optimized to the height and the wishes of the store employee. Thus, for example, the empties crates can be provided near the floor and/or the filling of empty empties crates can be made easier.
According to various embodiments, the following are provided: a quick sorting possibility, a quick transporting level change by means of an eccentric lifting gear mechanism, sorting by means of determining the weight of the empty containers (for example the empties crates), sorting by means of determining a color spectrum/logo of the empty containers (for example to differentiate and/or identify the material of the empty containers, such as for example plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate, and glass), sorting by means of an empty container identification (for example crate identification), which takes place in the taking-back machine (e.g., a reverse vending machine) by means of its control technology (also referred to as color sequence control), and/or determination or differentiation of filled and non-filled crates for sorting. By the various procedures, the type of the respective empties crate can for example be determined.
According to various embodiments, a transporting arrangement may have the following: a multi-level transporting section, which has a first transporting level and a second transporting level arranged above it (for example vertically); a feeding conveyor for feeding a container (for example an empty container or empties crate) in the direction of the multi-level transporting section; a distributing conveyor between the feeding conveyor and the multi-level transporting section, the distributing conveyor being mounted at the multi-level transporting section (e.g., in a manner being) pivotably between the first transporting level and the second transporting level and intended for distributing the container to the first transporting level or the second transporting level; a sensor arrangement, which is configured to sense at least one physical property (for example weight, filling state or material) of the container; a pivoting control device, which is configured to pivot the distributing conveyor between the first transporting level and the second transporting level if the at least one property satisfies a predetermined criterion (also referred to as the distribution criterion).
The property may for example comprise or be formed by an extensive property (for example an extensive quantity), i.e. a property that changes with the size of the container (such as for example mass, volume and/or extent). Optionally, the property may comprise an intensive property (for example intensive quantity), i.e. a property that is invariant with respect to the size of the container (such as for example a color property, shape, material, chemical composition and/or filling state).
According to various embodiments, the pivoting control device may provide a number of operating modes, according to which the pivoting 106s of the distributing conveyor 106 takes place, the pivoting control device being configured as switchable between the number of operating modes. For example, the operating modes of the number of operating modes can be differentiated from one another (for example in pairs) in terms of the pivoting speed, the number of pivoting positions and/or the criterion.
According to various embodiments, the pivoting control device may have a movement gear mechanism, which is configured to convert a rotational movement into a translational movement bringing about (e.g., causing) the pivoting of the distributing conveyor.
According to various embodiments, the movement gear mechanism may have an eccentric. This allows a compact design and a quick pivoting movement, for example even in the case of a high container weight. The movement that is carried out for example by the eccentric, for example a sinusoidal movement, may also be realized in some other way, for example by means of a servo axis and/or a spindle and/or a toggle lever mechanism (as explained in more detail below) and/or a controllable frequency converter, which produces a sinusoidal movement. In other words, the movement gear mechanism may have as an alternative to an eccentric a servo axis, a spindle, a toggle lever mechanism and/or a controllable frequency converter.
According to various embodiments, the movement gear mechanism (also referred as to motion transmission or motion linkage) may have a spindle and/or a toggle lever mechanism. The spindle allows a high container weight to be moved by means of the distributing conveyor. The toggle lever mechanism allows a quick pivoting movement (in graphic terms because of the greater realizable lever).
According to various embodiments, the pivoting control device may also have an electric drive, which is configured to provide the rotational movement for the movement gear mechanism.
According to various embodiments, the multi-level transporting section may have an additional transporting level, which at the distributing conveyor is at the height of the first or second transporting level; the transporting arrangement (for example the distributing conveyor) having a horizontally distributing device, which is configured to distribute (horizontally distributing) between the first or second transporting level and the additional transporting level; and the pivoting control device being configured to switch over a transporting direction of the horizontally distributing device between to the first or second transporting level and to the additional transporting level if the at least one property satisfies an additional predetermined criterion.
According to various embodiments, the at least one property may represent at least one weight (also referred to as mass) and/or a color property and/or an identification (for example a logo) of the container, for example for determining the type of the respective container for empties, for example the empties crate.
According to various embodiments, the sensor arrangement may have a first weight sensor and/or a second weight sensor, the first weight sensor being configured to sense a weight acting on the feeding conveyor (for example of the container); and the second weight sensor being configured to sense a weight acting on the distributing conveyor (for example the container); the at least one property representing at least the weight sensed by means of the first weight sensor and/or the second weight sensor (for example of the container).
According to various embodiments, the first weight sensor may be integrated in the feeding conveyor. Alternatively or in addition, the second weight sensor may be integrated in the distributing conveyor.
According to various embodiments, the feeding conveyor and/or the distributing conveyor may have a transporting band.
According to various embodiments, the first transporting level and/or the second transporting level may have a roller conveyor, for example a passive roller conveyor (i.e. not driven). The first transporting level and/or the second transporting level may alternatively or in addition have one or more belt conveyors (or generally one or more driven conveyors).
According to various embodiments, the multi-level transporting section may have a third transporting level, which is arranged above or below the distributing conveyor; the feeding conveyor having an additional distributing conveyor, the additional distributing conveyor being mounted (e.g., in a manner being) pivotably between the distributing conveyor and the third transporting level and intended for distributing the feed to the third transporting level or the distributing conveyor (of the second transporting level); the pivoting control device also being configured to pivot the additional distributing conveyor between the third transporting level and the distributing conveyor if the at least one property satisfies a predetermined further additional criterion.
According to various embodiments, the feeding conveyor may be configured to transport the container and at least one additional container immediately following it with a transporting speed and a distance from one another; the pivoting control device being configured to pivot the distributing conveyor between the first transporting level and the second transporting level within a time period, the time period corresponding to the quotient of the distance and the transporting speed.
According to various embodiments, an empty-container accepting arrangement (also referred as to reverse vending arrangement) may have the following: a taking-back machine; and a transporting arrangement according to various embodiments for transporting a container accepted by the taking-back machine.